Case Studies

Does your group face a challenge? Need to hear a voice offering joy, humor and
encouragement? Need real solutions for sparking action and creating lasting results?
These case studies reveal how Eileen listens deeply to issues and customized a
solution that achieves lasting change.

Pharmaceutical Company Needs To Cement Team Despite Restructuring

Situation: Significant structural reorganization for global leaders
in the regulatory division of major pharmaceutical company. New players have been
brought in from the outside and other internal roles have been shifted in a quest
to respond to a changing environment. Head of the group knows he has individual
world-class performers but needs them to operate as a team and come together to
solve issues that transcend geographical boundaries.

Challenge: Develop a Resilient Senior Leadership Team that responds
well to change.

Solution: Conducted intensive interviews with every member of
the senior team to identify issues, opportunities, and areas of concerns. In the
process, discovered that not only was there confusion about roles and goals but
they really had no understanding of each other as human beings. Because of a lack
of understanding, potential turf wars loomed. I discovered duplication of effort,
work either underdone or overdone, and procedures that were either outdated or
time wasters

Developed a three-day offsite retreat that used music as a theme: “ Orchestrating
world class medicines with world class performers.”

Created a workbook/notebook with the compilation of the issues, data on individual
behavioral styles, and plenty of information about all of the team.

Provided a process to generate expanded appreciation for the diverse backgrounds,
interests and skill levels of all in attendance.

Used interaction and a web exercise to unravel the questions related to roles
and goals.

Interspersed three-days with opportunities for laughter and casual conversation.

Developed action plans and individual commitments so that the alignment and conversation
became ongoing.

Provided small black books so they could record what they are doing differently
and what ideas and relationships they developed. These were used as a tool post
meeting to capture examples of positive and negative experiences with fellow team
members to be used in a follow up exercise to maintain momentum of the workshop.

Held a video conference two-months later with all attendees to see progress on
actions and commitments.

Feedback: According to the Senior Vice President:

“The team started to think for each other. We built the foundation for a transformative
team. We now understand how we operate and who we are as individuals. We learned
how to have the difficult conversations without being difficult. Eileen pulled
us together and got people to tell the truth. She also made it fun. There were
plenty of laughs along with very serious moments.

I’ve seen a real improvement into the team’s thinking. It’s a complex business
model and how she pulled it together was very powerful.

She hit every single issue she thought we had. She distilled it down. She has
a unique ability to gather data and say, ‘This is what matters.’

We spent the last day talking about action steps and made commitments—which
she gave us back in writing—about what we said we would do for each other.
She gave us a small black book to track our progress and two months later, we all
checked in via video conference to see exactly how we are doing.

Nine months later we continue to grow and have transformed into a high performing
team.”

Automotive Industry-Related Company Seeks to Develop Women Leaders

Situation: This Internet marketing company has grown by leaps
and bounds since opening its doors in 1995. Women are employed in everything from
sales to service to support. The industry, however, is very male dominated. Research
shows that profitability, retention and performance increase when more women assume
leadership positions.

Challenge: How to draw women of all levels together to begin to
learn how to develop their leadership skills, how to grow their careers and how
to work effectively in a male dominated environment during challenging times. The
company also wants feedback on what it needs to do differently. Additionally, customer
demands and staffing levels are such that the gathering cannot exceed 4 hours.

Solution: Eileen worked with the planning committee to design
a content-rich, interactive learning experience. She developed experiential mini-exercises
that got the women focusing on strengths and also what actions individuals as well
as corporate could take. Her keynote gave specific examples and memorable language
to help the women focus immediately on the result they wanted. She also crafted
the questions for a panel of five senior women from the automotive industry, met
with them beforehand and then facilitated the panel.

Feedback: According to the Vice President of Human Resources:
“This first Women’s Summit was a great success, brought about by “the verve, professionalism
and presence of Eileen McDargh. Our employees were captivated by her energy level,
by the wisdom she conveyed and by the emotional attachment she created with the
group. Additionally, her ideas to pull together the event and mediate the panel
worked well and were quite effective with the audience. Most of the women commented,
all of who are at different organizational levels and in different roles, that
they walked away from the conference with a learning that they could apply immediately
in their work or home life. It doesn’t get better than that.”

Clinical Division of Fortune 100 Company Needs a Collaborative Offsite

Situation: Team members are from around the globe. Different practices.
New technologies. Communication and understanding need to be improved. This is
the third year for a three-day symposium.

Solution: Eileen worked with the team for 6 months to design
the event. She helped the design team consider creative alternatives to stand-and-deliver
presentations. Her knowledge of group dynamics, effective meetings, and facilitation
allowed her to serve as both the keynote speaker and subsequent moderator and facilitator
of the event.

Feedback: The team reported that attendees rated the symposium
with the highest marks and also indicated how they would continue building the
bridges the symposium created. Eileen has been asked back to help the team for
the 4th year.

Large State Insurance Company Undergoes Consolidation and Personnel Shifts

Situation: A major decrease in premiums and the emergence of new
competitors forces a 90-year old organization to radically rethink both its operations
as well as deployment of personnel.

Challenge: Keep employees focused and productive in a time of
great uncertainty. Help managers know how to address sensitive issues with long-term
employees who will be facing a not-so-brave-new world.

Solution: Based on her belief that leadership of self precedes
leadership of others, Eileen crafted a two-day intervention to help the managers
understand change cycles and their individual behavior during the change process.
The second day, she had conversations with the intact work teams regarding concerns
and actions they can take during the change.

Feedback: Managers reported more confidence in dealing with issues
and what specific actions steps they could commit to with each other and their
employees.

Global IT company faces massive change with resiliency

Situation: In a major outsource move, a 130-year-old global consumer
products company spun off a division of 1,200 IT employees. The company held an
“IT Renewal” conference for the remaining 1,400 IT employees to kick off the company’s
turnaround.

Challenge: Launch the company’s new direction, deal with new
challenges and new opportunities in a way that honored the truth of the outsourcing
situation and gave the 1,400 employees ideas for navigating this change.

Solution: Eileen presented a keynote address, “Resiliency: Staying
Right Side up in a World of Change.” In addition, the company purchased 1,200 copies
of her book, The Resilient Spirit.

Feedback: Employees gave Eileen a standing ovation. The Human
Resources senior vice president invited Eileen to return to speak to the North
America group. He noted: “Eileen gave employees language with which to deal with
their situation and gave them self-leadership skills.” Employees continue to rely
on Eileen’s resiliency concepts.

County leaders overcome gridlock to fill CEO vacuum

Situation: Senior leadership in a large California county was
disrupted when an interim CEO replaced the previous (and well-liked) CEO who was
found to have misused county credit cards. Budgets were slashed and media reports
were negative. The Board of Supervisors faced gridlock.

Challenge: How to get people engaged, excited and sharing. How
to break down barriers.

Solution: Eileen worked with the team for 6 months to design the
event. She helped the design team consider creative alternatives to stand-and-deliver
presentations. Her knowledge of group dynamics, effective meetings, and facilitation
allowed her to serve as both the keynote speaker and subsequent moderator and facilitator
of the event.

Feedback: The team reported that attendees rated the symposium
with the highest marks and also indicated how they would continue building the
bridges the symposium created. Eileen has been asked back to help the team for
the 4th year.

Employees embrace resiliency to cope with major healthcare reorganization

Situation: The Ontario provincial government in Canada announced
that hospitals would be designated for specific services. Many doctors and nurses
would move to different organizational cultures; some hospitals would close or
face drastic changes. The frontline nursing staff and nurse leadership team of
a prominent hospital network were already overworked and discouraged. Many would
be sent to another hospital; those who stayed would experience the “survivor” syndrome.

Challenge: How to help these professionals deal with major cultural
changes, navigate the transition, and maintain the attitude necessary to do their
work well.

Solution: Using grant money from the government, the hospital
network selected two U.S. consultants to help: Eileen McDargh and Dr. Tim Porter-O’Grady.
Eileen met with the teams for eight months via phone conferences and designed three
full days of leadership training for the frontline nurses and the nurse leaders.
Bringing an outside perspective and a compassion for the complexities, Eileen was
able to challenge the attendees in ways that an internal consultant could not.

Feedback: Eileen still receives feedback showing how these professionals
have embraced their ability to be resilient.

Sales reps receive strategies to improve work/life integration

Situation: The women’s network of sales reps in a multinational
corporation’s meets once a year.

Challenge: These professional women grapple with work/life balance
issues. The meeting planner devoted a full day to this critical topic.

Solution: Eileen conducted her one-day workshop: “JourneyWork—Crafting
a Resilient Life.” The response was so positive, the meeting planner asked Eileen
to help develop a two-day conference—dedicated to this topic—for a
group in the North Atlantic states. In addition, Eileen presented this workshop
to the company’s West Coast network.

Feedback: Attendees said they were more focused, empowered, and
energized to make positive changes in their work and home lives.

Senior leadership team shifts from conflict to alignment

Situation: An international organization suffered financial setbacks,
resulting in a major reorganization, a new leadership team and an urgent need to
regain lost ground in the marketplace quickly.

Challenge: The reorganization thrust together long-term employees
and new employees, all seeking to understand roles, goals and responsibilities.
The organization’s vision was unclear, communication spotty and interpersonal conflicts
had erupted.

Solution: Eileen conducted three months of intensive research
into pertinent issues. She designed a 2 1/2-day offsite retreat to help the leadership
team focus on issues, gain alignment and understand individuals and their respective
roles.

Feedback: Eileen’s methodology built-in so much team insight and
perspective at the front of the process that the short timeframe for the actual
retreat produced better-than-expected results. Departments aligned quickly, communication
improved markedly and issues were addressed systematically. Eileen continues to
gently monitor the organization’s process and provide coaching as necessary.

Health & Housing Alliance members rejuvenated with renewed commitment

Situation: All the major players within the state’s health and
housing alliance gathered for an annual meeting. The state’s budget had been hit
with severe cuts in financial aid, while the population of seniors needing services
skyrocketed. Conference attendees were bone-weary and jaded.

Solution: Eileen carefully researched the group’s issues and attended
several conference sessions. She quickly connected with the audience and used stories,
metaphors, examples and humor to capture their minds and their hearts in her presentation.

Challenge: How to get people engaged, excited and sharing. How
to break down barriers.

Solution: Eileen worked with the team for 6 months to design
the event. She helped the design team consider creative alternatives to stand-and-deliver
presentations. Her knowledge of group dynamics, effective meetings, and facilitation
allowed her to serve as both the keynote speaker and subsequent moderator and facilitator
of the event.

Feedback: The team reported that attendees rated the symposium
with the highest marks and also indicated how they would continue building the
bridges the symposium created. Eileen has been asked back to help the team for
the 4th year.

Motivational Speaker Eilleen McDargh

Conference session addresses real issues with real answers

Situation: The Women’s Food Forum planned to hold a panel discussion
during the National Restaurant Association’s annual meeting. The topic: mentoring
with heavy-hitting leaders in the food services industry.

Challenge: Organizers knew this was a beneficial topic for their
members. But how could they attract attendance to the panel discussion during the
heavily scheduled conference?

Solution: Eileen created an email survey seeking association
members’ feedback on key issues. Based on members’ input, she created questions
for the panelists and worked closely with them to ensure they addressed concerns.

Feedback: Participation soared and attendees raved! This panel
session was ranked in the top three of the overall conference. Attendees praised
the fun, fast-paced discussion.

High-stress executives hear message of work/life integration

Situation: An international company’s well-paid executives perform
at high levels under tremendous stress. While the company’s owners appreciate the
performance levels, they are concerned about the executives’ work/life balance.

Challenge: Present a work/life balance message that the executives
could take to heart without brushing it off as “soft” or “not relevant.”

Solution: Before the global conference, Eileen prepared thoroughly
by interviewing a cross-section of key people throughout the firm. During the conference,
she created a high-energy, innovative presentation—highlighting a company
leader on the podium—to create a new vision of life integration.

Feedback: Executives found the message appropriate, innovative
and filled with ideas they could immediately put to use. Senior leadership needed
to navigate through significant change, clarify and improve relationships, and
develop a shared vision to begin the search for a new CEO.

Solution: Eileen interviewed several county leaders to thoroughly
understand the issues. She conducted a full-day Change Mastery session with the
Board of Supervisors, leading them through a transition model. The group then crafted
a “preferred future” statement.

Feedback: County leaders moved out of gridlock to a place of understanding,
courage, and commitment.